Table Of ContentThe Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT): mission study
results
David Leisawitza, Charles Bakera, Amy Bargerb, Dominic Benforda, Andrew Blainc, Rob Boylea,
Richard Brodericka, Jason Budinoffa, John Carpenterc, Richard Caverlya, Phil Chena, Steve Cooleya,
Christine Cottinghamd, Julie Crookea, Dave DiPietroa, Mike DiPirroa, Michael Femianoa, Art Ferrera,
Jackie Fischere, Jonathan Gardnera, Lou Hallocka, Kenny Harrisa, Kate Hartmana, Martin Harwitf,
Lynne Hillenbrandc, Tupper Hydea, Drew Jonesa, Jim Kellogga, Alan Koguta, Marc Kuchnera, Bill
Lawsona, Javier Lechaa, Maria Lechaa, Amy Mainzerg, Jim Manniona, Anthony Martinoa, Paul
Masona, John Mathera, Gibran McDonalda, Rick Millsa, Lee Mundyh, Stan Ollendorfa, Joe
Pellicciottia, Dave Quinna, Kirk Rheea, Stephen Rineharta, Tim Sauerwinea, Robert Silverberga,
Terry Smitha, Gordon Staceyf, H. Philip Stahli, Johannes Staguhn j, Steve Tompkinsa, June
Tveekrema, Sheila Walla, and Mark Wilsona
a NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
b Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
c California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
d Lockheed Martin Technical Operations, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
e Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA
f Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
g Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
h Astronomy Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
i NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
j SSAI, Lanham, Maryland, USA
ABSTRACT
We report results of a recently-completed pre-Formulation Phase study of SPIRIT, a candidate NASA Origins Probe
mission. SPIRIT is a spatial and spectral interferometer with an operating wavelength range 25 - 400 µm. SPIRIT will
provide sub-arcsecond resolution images and spectra with resolution R = 3000 in a 1 arcmin field of view to accomplish
three primary scientific objectives: (1) Learn how planetary systems form from protostellar disks, and how they acquire
their chemical organization; (2) Characterize the family of extrasolar planetary systems by imaging the structure in
debris disks to understand how and where planets form, and why some planets are ice giants and others are rocky; and
(3) Learn how high-redshift galaxies formed and merged to form the present-day population of galaxies. Observations
with SPIRIT will be complementary to those of the James Webb Space Telescope and the ground-based Atacama Large
Millimeter Array. All three observatories could be operational contemporaneously.
Keywords: infrared, submillimeter, interferometry, infrared detectors, cryogenic optics, Origins Probe
1. INTRODUCTION
In 2004 NASA solicited Origins Probe Mission Concept Study proposals and selected the Space Infrared Interferometric
Telescope (SPIRIT) and eight other concepts for study. Previously SPIRIT had been recommended in the Community
Plan for Far-Infrared/Submillimeter Space Astronomy1 as a pathfinder to the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of
Cosmic Structure (SPECS), which had been accepted into the NASA astrophysics roadmap following recommendations
of the Decadal Report Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium.2 While SPECS is conceived as a 1-kilometer
maximum baseline far-IR interferometer requiring multiple spacecraft flying in a tethered formation,3, 4, 5 SPIRIT was
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation I: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter,
edited by John C. Mather, Howard A. MacEwen, Mattheus W.M. de Graauw,
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265, 626540, (2006) · 0277-786X/06/$15 · doi: 10.1117/12.669820
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265 626540-1
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intended by the infrared astronomical community as a less ambitious yet extremely capable mission, and a natural step in
the direction of SPECS.
The IR astrophysics community recommended SPIRIT knowing that far-IR observatories providing visual acuity orders
of magnitude better than that of the current and near-future telescopes will be needed to answer the compelling scientific
questions that motivate NASA’s Astrophysics Division and inspire young explorers: How do planetary systems form
from the disks of material commonly found around young stars? Why do some planets end up being hospitable to life as
we know it, while others do not? How did galaxies form and evolve, occasionally colliding, erupting with newborn stars,
and emerging from their dusty cocoons with freshly-forged chemical elements? The magnificent data returned from the
85-cm diameter Spitzer Space Telescope hint at the progress that will be made when sharper infrared images can be
obtained, but Spitzer’s far-IR images are no clearer than those seen by Galileo with the most primitive astronomical
telescope. SPIRIT will provide far-IR images a hundred times sharper than those of Spitzer, and SPECS, perhaps a
decade later, will further improve the image quality by another order of magnitude.
We adopted a methodical approach to mission design. The SPIRIT Science Team developed a Design Reference Mission
to capture the measurement capabilities needed to achieve a wide range of possible science objectives. To understand the
dependence of scientific value on cost, and to assess the viability of SPIRIT as an Origins Probe mission, we specified
measurement requirements for, engineered, and evaluated three mission design concepts. First the SPIRIT Engineering
Team developed engineering designs for ambitious (A) and relatively modest (B) concepts, aiming to bracket the Origins
Probe cost target, $670M. After assimilating lessons from the A and B studies and evaluating science priorities, we chose
a final set of measurement requirements and developed a third mission design (C). During the C design cycle, features of
designs A and B were included or excluded according to their costs and benefits, and more thought was given to the
technology development program, the Integration and Test program, and the spacecraft bus requirements. Thus, the C
design is more mature than the A and B designs. Upon completion of the C design cycle and independent validation of
the estimated C design cost, the design was reviewed by an external Advisory Review Panel.
SPIRIT Design C will enable us to accomplish the following scientific objectives: (1) Learn how planetary systems form
from protostellar disks, and how they acquire their chemical organization; (2) Characterize the family of extrasolar
planetary systems by imaging the structure in debris disks to understand how and where planets of different types form;
and (3) Learn how high-redshift galaxies formed and merged to form the present-day population of galaxies. These are
central goals in the science plan for NASA’s Astrophysics Division and they relate directly to the Agency’s quest to
“conduct advanced telescope searches for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars.”
Only a space-based far-IR observatory can make the observations needed to achieve the scientific objectives listed
above. Protostars, proto-planetary disks, planetary debris disks, and young galaxies radiate most of their energy at far-IR
wavelengths. Visible and near-IR light is emitted less strongly, and severely attenuated by foreground dust. This
obscuring material is ubiquitous in the places of interest because all stars and planets are born in dense, dust-laden
molecular clouds. Far-IR light from these stellar and planetary nurseries can readily penetrate the dust and reach our
telescopes. While longer-wavelength (millimeter and sub-millimeter) light also reaches Earth and, indeed, penetrates our
atmosphere where it can be measured with ground-based telescopes, only the far-IR spectrum harbors the information
necessary to answer the questions posed above. The Earth’s atmosphere absorbs far-IR light, and high-altitude ambient-
temperature telescopes are limited in sensitivity because the photons emitted by the telescope swamp those of interest
from the sky. Thus SPIRIT, like the predecessor missions IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite), COBE (Cosmic
Background Explorer), ISO (Infrared Space Observatory), and Spitzer, will be a cryogenically cooled space-based
observatory.
SPIRIT has two 1 m diameter light collecting telescopes and a Michelson beam combining instrument. The telescopes
can be separated by distances ranging up to 36 m, and the optical delay line in the beam combiner can be scanned to
provide, simultaneously, sub-arcsecond angular resolution images and R = λ/∆λ = 3000 spectral resolution. Cryo-cooled
optics and sensitive detectors enable SPIRIT’s sensitivity to be limited by photon noise from the sky.
Additional features of the SPIRIT C design are presented in this paper, which is organized as follows. The SPIRIT
science goals and the measurements required to achieve them are detailed in Section 2. Section 3 describes the
engineering implications of the measurement requirements and most of the important aspects of the C design.
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265 626540-2
Information about SPIRIT’s unique capabilities relative to those of other current and planned facilities is given in
Section 4, which is followed by a short summary in Section 5.
2. SCIENCE WITH SPIRIT
To facilitate mission planning the SPIRIT Science Team reviewed many potential scientific objectives for a far-IR
spatial and spectral interferometer, prioritized the objectives, and developed a Design Reference Mission (DRM). The
DRM outlines the measurement capabilities (number of targets, wavelength range, field of view, angular and spectral
resolution, sensitivity, and dynamic range) required to achieve all of the considered potential objectives. This enables us
to measure the extent to which alternative mission design concepts satisfy the measurement requirements. Only the
measurement requirements corresponding to the three scientific objectives classified as “primary objectives” were
allowed to drive the mission design.
In Section 2.1 we describe the three primary objectives of the SPIRIT mission. Additional possible applications for the
observatory are listed in Section 2.2. In Section 2.3 the measurement capabilities of SPIRIT are compared with those of
current and near-future far-IR observatories, and with two facilities whose observations will be complementary to those
of SPIRIT: the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA).
2.1. Primary scientific objectives
The SPIRIT Science Team prioritized science objectives according to their perceived importance to advancing
astrophysical knowledge, their relevance to the higher-level science objectives of NASA’s Astrophysics Division, the
plausibility that a cost-constrained far-IR mission like SPIRIT could make the required measurements, and the extent to
which only SPIRIT could make the necessary measurements. Three objectives were considered by the SPIRIT Science
Team to satisfy these criteria, and were adopted as “primary scientific objectives” for the mission: with SPIRIT we will:
(1) learn how planetary systems form from protostellar disks, and how they acquire their chemical organization; (2)
characterize the family of extrasolar planetary systems by imaging the structure in debris disks to understand how and
where planets of different types form; and (3) learn how high-redshift galaxies formed and merged to form the present-
day population of galaxies. These goals are clearly traceable to NASA’s strategic objectives to (a) “conduct advanced
telescope searches for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars”; and (b) “explore the universe to
understand its origin, structure, evolution, and destiny.”
The prioritized objectives for the SPIRIT mission will be recognized as compelling by young explorers and the general
public, and SPIRIT will likely uncover unimaginably beautiful scenes whose aesthetic value alone will be a source of
inspiration. Thus, SPIRIT will also satisfy the NASA strategic objective “to inspire and motivate the nation's students
and teachers, to engage and educate the public, and to advance the scientific and technological capabilities of the nation.”
Below we summarize each of the primary objectives and explain how SPIRIT will be used to achieve them.
2.1.1. Goal 1: Learn how planetary systems form
The greatest obstacle to our understanding how planetary systems form is the lack of an observing tool that can
decisively constrain theoretical models. Two factors have allowed theorists to speculate almost freely. First, planets form
in dusty environments, so protoplanetary disks are generally impossible to see at visible wavelengths. Hubble Space
Telescope (HST) images of the proplyds in Orion6 tantalize us for this reason. Second, the far-infrared light from
protoplanetary disks, which is their dominant emission, has only been seen as an unresolved blur or, worse, as the
blended emission of many objects in a single telescope resolution element. To break model degeneracy and learn how
planetary systems form it is essential to obtain spatially-resolved far-IR observations of protostars and protoplanetary
disks. At the distance of the nearest concentration of objects thought to be forming planets, 140 pc, angular resolution of
about 0.1 arcsec will be needed to resolve the structures of interest. The Spitzer Space Telescope and the planned far-IR
observatories Herschel and SOFIA (the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) lack the necessary resolution
by more than an order of magnitude.
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265 626540-3
To gain astrophysical insight we will need more than a single high-resolution broadband image. The far-IR continuum
will be dominated by thermal emission from dust, but the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED) will depend on
several coupled factors: the dust temperature, grain size distribution, dust grain optical properties, the three-dimensional
density distribution, and radiative transfer. Hence, model degeneracy will remain unless the SED is measured at many
positions.
Although observations of the dust emission will allow us to probe the physical conditions at various locations in
protoplanetary disks, dust is a minor constituent of the interstellar medium by mass. Direct measurements of the
molecular hydrogen gas will also be needed to determine if and when the disks surrounding young stars attain the density
distributions characteristic of hydrostatic equilibrium.7, 8 Surrogate tracers of the dominant H molecules, such as CO line
2
emission, can be observed, but photodissociation, freeze-out onto grain surfaces and uncertain excitation conditions
complicate the interpretation of such indirect probes of gas density. The readily excited H spectral lines at 28 and 17 µm
2
are the best probes of gas density, and both lines should be observed to calibrate the effects of varying excitation
conditions. Variations in the H line excitation temperature are expected to exist both spatially around a single star, and
2
from object to object.
Finally, we will want to understand when and how chemical differentiation occurs in protoplanetary disks. The H O
2
molecule has a rich far-IR spectrum, and the solar system teaches us that water is not evenly distributed among the
planets. Given the importance of water in biological systems, and our keen interest in habitable environments, the
relevance of these uniquely far-IR measurements is self-evident. The far-IR spectrum also contains strong C and O fine
structure lines, which can be used to measure the C/O ratio. That abundance ratio is thought to affect the composition,
surface chemistry, and perhaps the habitability of planets.9
SPIPITwiII
image protosteller disks in
)b) rap H line emission in proto-plinetery disks
their lint , nd Co nt n U urn e mis! ion
t 1
- 1 Qa yr 10a_ 10'yr
100 1iniSPIPIT
beam atlC PC
t urii4
Proto eta rem bedded in Pre-ni a in sequence sr.
envelope.diskoutflow a u tfi ow remnant disk
BWO AU 100AU •—18 um SPIPITbeam at 1C PC
4
ICC
a
•1 2
E
I
0
1
100 160
wavelength (pm)
Figure 1 – SPIRIT, which naturally produces spatial-spectral “data cubes,” will (a) image protostellar disks in their line
and continuum emission, and (b) map H , H O, and C and O fine structure line emission in protoplanetary disks,
2 2
providing a spectrum like the one shown in panel (c) at each of many spatial locations. The spectrum in (c) is based on
ISO observations of a Class 0 protostar.10
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265 626540-4
As illustrated in Figure 1, SPIRIT will provide the sub-arcsecond angular resolution needed to resolve protostellar disks
and planetary systems during their formative stages. SPIRIT will be used to image hundreds of these objects in the
nearby regions of low-mass star formation Taurus, ρ Oph, and Perseus. Such observations will permit us to calibrate the
effects of variable viewing geometry and, effectively, to finely time-resolve the development stages of a protoplanetary
disk. SPIRIT will provide emission line maps in the most easily excited H rotational transition at 28 µm,
2
complementing spatially-matched JWST observations of the 17 µm line, and obviating our dependence on traditional but
notoriously unreliable surrogate tracers of gas density. To summarize, SPIRIT will be able to map the distribution of dust
continuum and gas spectral line emission in protostars and protoplanetary disks to fill an information void, constrain
theoretical models, and greatly improve our understanding of the planet formation process.
2.1.2. Goal 2: Observe debris disks to characterize extrasolar planetary systems
The orbits followed by dust grains in established planetary systems are perturbed gravitationally by the planets. Orbital
resonances produce dust concentrations,11, 12 which have been observed at visible13 and infrared14 wavelengths. The
locations, masses and orbits of unseen planets can be deduced from the shapes and temporal variations in the dust debris
disks,11 just as new Saturnian moons have been found after ring gaps and features divulged their hiding places.
Interplanetary dust glows brightly in the far-IR, and stars are relatively faint in this region of the spectrum, so spatially
resolved IR images of debris disks will unambiguously reveal hidden planets, and will do so without the observational
selection biases associated with motion-dependent (astrometric or Doppler) techniques.
(a) Spitz& Observaflons of Fomaffiaot (b) Debris Disk Seen From 3Opc
S SPIRITrona4im
Figure 2 –The Spitzer Space Telescope is able to resolve four nearby debris disks, including Fomalhaut, shown here
(a) at 24 and 70 µm (NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Stapelfeldt). With angular resolution a hundred-fold better than that of
Spitzer, SPIRIT will image with comparable clarity debris disks located half a kiloparsec from the Sun. More
importantly, SPIRIT will provide clear images of a large statistical sample of debris disks, enabling discoveries of new
planets and a great improvement in our understanding of the factors that influence the evolution of planetary systems.
The effects of a planet on the distribution of dust in a debris disk are evident in the model shown in (b) (M.
Kuchner/Princeton). The model is based on Eps Eri, but it is shown scaled to a distance of 30 pc to illustrate SPIRIT's
resolving potential. The model images (b) show the predicted infrared emission at 40, 60, and 100 µm wavelengths
color-coded as blue, green, and red, respectively. The planet (+) is shown at two orbital phases, and the resonantly
trapped dust grains can be seen to have moved.
The IR imaging technique works optimally when the instrument angular resolution is well matched to the debris feature
size and the wavelength observed is close to that of the spectral peak in the dust emission. Depending on the stellar
spectrum, the distance of the dust grains from the star, and the grain optical properties, the emission will peak in the
spectral range ~20 – 60 µm. More massive planets leave more prominent signatures in debris disks, but the Earth is
trailed by a dust concentration,15 so the possibility exists that even so-called “terrestrial” planets can be found in IR
images of debris disks. We should aim to detect features as small as 0.3 AU in diameter. Although the nearest debris
disks are only a few parsecs away, an important objective is to understand our own solar system in the context of the zoo
of possible planetary systems, so it will be necessary to image debris disks in a heliocentric sphere containing hundreds
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265 626540-5
of interesting objects. To that end, we should strive to image debris disks out to ~30 pc, at which distance 0.3 AU
subtends an angle of 10 milli-arcseconds.
How does this compare with the measurement capabilities of existing and planned instruments? At 25 µm, the resolution
of JWST will be about 1 arcsecond. An interferometric baseline of 260 m would be required to provide the desired 10
mas resolution, and this is well within the capabilities of an imaging interferometer like SPECS.3, 4 As noted in Section 1,
SPIRIT represents an important step toward SPECS. SPIRIT will provide approximately ten times better angular
resolution than JWST at 25 µm, and its capability to image debris disks will be vastly superior to that of Spitzer, which
can resolve only four nearby disks (Figure 2). Despite its modest angular resolution, Spitzer is revolutionizing debris
disk research and teaching us that dust replenishment in evolved planetary systems may be sporadic.16 As described in
the previous section, however, a lack of imaging capability has permitted degeneracy in possible interpretations to go
unchecked. SPIRIT will image a large sample of debris disks to break that degeneracy, and will have the potential to
reveal the presence of terrestrial planets in orbit around nearby stars. Later, SPECS will see the debris signatures of a
large number of low-mass planets.
2.1.3. Goal 3: Learn how galaxies form and evolve
Mergers and interactions between protogalaxies are believed to have played a major role in the morphological
development of galaxies and their star forming histories. Evidence accumulated over the past decade convinces us that
observations in the far-IR are critical to our understanding of the galaxy-building process. Our own Milky Way galaxy
emits half of its light in the UV/visible, and the other half at far-IR wavelengths. Indeed, except for the microwave relic
radiation from the Big Bang, the entire Universe shows a similar energy balance between long and short-wavelength
emission,17 reflecting the dominant status of astrophysical processes that occur on a galactic scale. Star formation and the
violent activity taking place near the super-massive black holes in galactic nuclei are the most important processes.
AnuIar Resolution at 160 Am Figure 3 –A simulated JWST deep
field observation (A. Benson/STScI) is
used to illustrate SPIRIT’s ability to
distinguish the emissions of individual
high-z objects. For comparison, the
Spitzer Space Telescope resolution at
160 µm is coarser than the entire 20
arcsecond field shown, and even a 10
m diameter Single Aperture Far-IR
(SAFIR) telescope would see multiple
objects per beam at this wavelength.
ace Tdncop.
The lack of access to far-IR measurements with high angular resolution and moderate spectral resolution has become a
major hindrance to our progress in understanding these processes and their relationship to the development of galactic
structure in the Universe. The most luminous objects are hidden by dust, and we would like to know if they are powered
by mergers. Galaxy mergers compress and shock the interstellar medium, and trigger bursts of star formation,18 but
inherent to this mechanism is its occurrence in dense, dust-laden clouds, which prevent the escape of stellar UV/visible
photons. Most of the short-wavelength radiation is absorbed locally, where it warms interstellar dust to a temperature at
which it glows most brightly in the far-IR. Similarly, galactic nuclear sources are often obscured from view at short
wavelengths, but they heat the surrounding interstellar medium and produce strong far-IR emission. The IR spectral
fingerprints of stellar nurseries and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are readily distinguishable. For example, the line
ratios from a triad of neon fine-structure lines unambiguously differentiates between these emission mechanisms.19 The
past decade has taught us that, for reasons still poorly understood, many young galaxies and protogalaxies have IR-
dominated spectra, and some have no optical counterparts whatsoever.20 Clearly, to understand galaxy formation, it will
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265 626540-6
be imperative to decipher the far-IR light that reaches our telescopes. As is generally true, a variety of plausible
theoretical interpretations are possible when only a spectrum or a monochromatic image is available, or when only a
small number of objects are observed. The deciphering will require: (a) observations of many galaxies to sample a
variety of galaxy types and evolutionary phases, (b) spectral resolution sufficient to detect the important diagnostic and
interstellar gas cooling lines from ions, atoms, and molecules, (c) angular resolution sufficient to resolve many nearby
galaxies into discrete regions of star formation and nuclear regions, and to see high-redshift galaxies without source
confusion, and (d) broad wavelength coverage and adequate sensitivity to see galaxies at redshift z = 3 or greater, as
much of the galaxy-building seems to have taken place since the corresponding period in the history of the Universe.
Specifically, we need the equivalent of integral field spectroscopy with spectral resolution R = 3000, sub-arcsecond
angular resolution, wavelength coverage from ~25 µm to ~100(1+z) = 400 µm, a field of view ~1 arcminute in diameter,
and sensitivity to emission at the micro-Jansky per beam level. ALMA will extend these capabilities by measuring the
SED peak in galaxies at z > 3.
Unlike Spitzer, Herschel, SOFIA, and even the 10 m SAFIR Telescope, SPIRIT will be able to observe galaxies in the
far-infrared without the adverse effects of source confusion (Figure 3), and it will be able to measure the information-
rich far-IR spectra of these objects (Figure 4). Thus, SPIRIT will provide critical information complementary to that
accessible to JWST. Together, JWST, SPIRIT and ALMA will revolutionize our understanding of galaxy formation and
the related processes of star formation and heavy element synthesis.
Rest wavelength (gm)
0 1o4 1000 100 10
0
0
E Lines represent SED templates Figure 4 –The far-IR spectrum of a galaxy
0 soiidBiainetai.li999)
Dashed Gu iderdon I et al. (1998) [19] contains a large fraction of the
00 00 Doted Dun ne et al. (2000) bolometric luminosity and many strong
C, o Arp 220 (I) emission lines, which can be used to
• 0Mrk2310)
0 • A 5MM J02 399-0136 (5) calculate physical conditions in the
-o • • 5MSMMM JJ0124 3O9191-+00123542 ((55)) interstellar medium, estimate rates of star
r * HR1O(5) formation, and measure a galaxy's redshift.
IRA5 F10214+4724 (L)
C, CIoverIeaf(L) SPIRIT will be able to measure the line
• APM 08279+5255 (L)
0 intensities and the far-IR spectral energy
distributions of galaxies out to high redshifts
to probe the epoch of most-intense star
formation (z ~ 2 - 3), distinguish between
PG 1241+176 (H)
I BR 1202-0725 (H) nuclear and non-nuclear emission, and
BR1 1335-0417 (H)
• 4C41.17(H( determine the relationship between galaxy
— SC 1435+635 (H)
• 5MMJ221726+0013 mergers and star formation activity.
III:
1010 1011 1012 1013 1014
Rest frequency (Hz)
2.2. Additional possible scientific applications for SPIRIT
We envision that Guest Observers will use SPIRIT to address a wide range of interesting astrophysical questions. As part
of its science goal prioritization process, the SPIRIT Science Team considered many possible applications for a far-IR
interferometer in addition to the three primary objectives described above. The following set of applications illustrates
the potential of a SPIRIT mission to solve a variety of astrophysical problems: (1) Test the unification model for AGN
by measuring the physical conditions in the tori surrounding the nuclei of nearby galaxies; (2) Measure the spectra of
extrasolar gas giant planets to determine their effective temperatures and assess their chemical diversity; (3) Map nearby
spiral galaxies in fine structure and molecular lines to better understand the role of large-scale gas compression in the
process of star formation; (4) Measure the temperature and mass structures in "starless cores" and infrared-dark clouds to
study the earliest stages of star formation; and (5) Follow up Spitzer observations of Kuiper Belt and other cold objects
in the solar system to mine the fossil record of planetary system formation.
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6265 626540-7
3. SPIRIT MISSION CONCEPT
From the scientific objectives described in Section 2, the following measurement requirements were derived and adopted
for the SPIRIT C Design: SPIRIT will cover the wavelength range 25 to 400 µm; the angular resolution will be 0.3
arcseconds at 100 µm and scale in proportion to the wavelength; the spectral resolution will be 3000; the instantaneous
field of view (FOV) will be 1 arcminute; and the field of regard will be 40 degrees wide and centered on the ecliptic
plane (at any given time during the year, SPIRIT will be able to observe a point in the sky within 20 degrees of the anti-
Sun direction). In addition, we required that the micro-Jansky continuum emission and the important interstellar cooling
and diagnostic spectral lines from galaxies at redshift z ~ 3 be detectable in a “deep field” exposure lasting
approximately two weeks.
A typical SPIRIT observation will take about 1 day and yield, after ground data processing, a “data cube” with two high-
resolution spatial dimensions and a third, spectral dimension. The data can be explored either as a sequence of images,
each of which shows the appearance of the target field at a discrete wavelength, or as a set of spectra, one for each
position in the FOV. At each field position, or for a set of discrete objects in the field, SPIRIT will measure a chemical
fingerprint and indicators of physical conditions, such as gas and dust temperature and density, enabling astronomers to
achieve the objectives outlined above.
A single scientific instrument will provide the required measurement capabilities. SPIRIT has two 1-m diameter light-
collecting telescopes and a central beam-combiner attached to a rigid boom. The telescopes are mounted on trolleys,
which move along rails to provide interferometric baselines ranging in length from 6 m to 36 m. The boom rotates during
an observation with the rotation axis pointing toward the target field. The resulting spatial frequency “u-v plane”
coverage can be tailored according to the expected spatial brightness structure in the scene and can be dense, so SPIRIT
will produce very good images. For each baseline observed, an optical delay line is scanned, yielding a set of white light
interferograms, one for each pixel in SPIRIT's four pairs of detector arrays. SPIRIT is a "double Fourier"
interferometer21 - 24 because spectral information is available in these interferograms; the delay line is scanned through
the distance required to (a) equalize path lengths through the two arms of the interferometer for all angles in a 1 arcmin
wide FOV, and (b) provide spectral resolution R = 3000.
While all of the essential elements of mission design were addressed during the SPIRIT study, below we describe only
the novel aspects of the optical, cryo-thermal, detector, metrology, and mechanism subsystems, and the SPIRIT
operations concept.
3.1. Optical system design
SPIRIT’s light-collecting telescopes sample two sections of an incident wavefront and direct compressed, collimated
beams into a beam-combining instrument. An off-axis telescope design (Figure 5) was chosen to avoid wavelength-
dependent diffraction effects which would complicate calibration and compromise the sensitivity to fringe visibility. The
telescopes compress the beam by a factor of 10 to minimize the total optical surface area, and therefore the thermal mass
that must be cryo-cooled to meet the sensitivity requirement. Compression at the collector telescopes by more than the
optimal ratio magnifies off-axis field angles and increases the size of the mirror required to intercept the beam at the
beam combiner. Compression by less than the optimal ratio requires a large tertiary mirror at the collector telescope,
which is both harder to cool and harder to steer to maintain alignment with the beam combiner optics.
SPIRIT has a Michelson (pupil plane) beam combiner. This type of instrument permits the use of a smaller number of
detector pixels and has relaxed alignment tolerances compared with the alternative Fizeau design, and the Michelson
technique naturally enables Fourier Transform Spectroscopy. To develop the technique of wide field-of-view double
Fourier interferometry we built the Wide-field Imaging Interferometry Testbed (WIIT),22 which is essentially a scale
model of SPIRIT. Our experience with WIIT23 informed our design choices, and our newly-developed optical system
model of the testbed24 will ultimately serve as the basis for a high-fidelity model of SPIRIT.
As illustrated in Figure 6, light incident upon the SPIRIT beam combiner is further compressed with off-axis optics,
recollimated, split into four wavelength bands with wire mesh dichroics to optimize optical system and detector
performance, directed through optical delay lines up to the point of beam combination at a wire mesh 50/50 beamsplitter,
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and focused with off-axis reflectors onto detector arrays. An opto-mechanism in one collimated beam (“PCM” in Figure
6) provides pathlength correction with control feedback from an internal metrology system. The other collimated beam
passes through a scanning optical delay line. In each wavelength band, both Michelson output ports are used, so there is
no wasted light and the design is robust against a detector failure. The optical design is symmetric; the light collected at
one telescope is reflected by mirrors and reflected or transmitted by dichroics identical in design to the optical elements
encountered by light from the other telescope. This symmetric arrangement balances the throughput, simplifies
calibration, and minimizes instrumental visibility loss.
Figure 5 – The SPIRIT light
1 m primary mirror
collectors are off-axis, afocal
f/0.7 off-axis parabola
Cassegrain telescopes.
10 cm tertiary mirror, flat
1.5 m metering structure
10 cm secondary mirror,
off-axis parabola
The optical elements have no extraordinary fabrication or material requirements. Surface roughness and mid-spatial
frequency tolerances are such that some of the customary polishing steps may be avoided. Aluminum, silicon carbide,
composite, and beryllium are all acceptable materials, and aluminum was adopted in the C design. The capability exists
in the US and the UK to produce “designer” dichroics and beamsplitters with wavelength-dependent transmission and
reflection curves which approach the ideal rectangular shapes.
3.2. Thermal design and cryocoolers
SPIRIT’s thermal performance is crucial to its ability to satisfy the sensitivity requirements. Instrumental noise, either
stray thermal radiation or detector noise, must not exceed the photon noise from the sky. Thus, the optics must be cooled
to 4 K. We developed a thermal model and gave careful thought to thermal system design and stray light baffling. We
modeled the radiative, conductive, and mechanism-generated parasitic heat loads from all sources, and used conservative
estimates and large margins for the relatively poorly known terms in the thermal model. Many features of the SPIRIT
design, such as low-conductivity structures and tailored multi-layer sun shades and shields, were optimized to satisfy
thermal system performance requirements. The result is a system whose cooling requirements can be met with
cryocoolers only modestly enhanced relative to those currently under development for JWST under NASA’s Advanced
Cryocooler Technology Development Program (ACTDP). A subscale engineering testbed designed to validate the
SPIRIT and related thermal models is under development, and a space validation experiment is under consideration for
the New Millennium mission ST-9.25
The advantages of cryocoolers over cryostats are manifold. Elimination of a mission lifetime-limiting expendable in
favor of a device whose design lifetime can easily surpass the desired mission duration is an obvious plus. In a mission
like SPIRIT, where the scientific performance, especially angular resolution, is limited by the fairing dimensions in
available, affordable launch vehicles, the vastly reduced volume of a cryocooler relative to a cryostat of equivalent
cooling capacity is a tremendous advantage. Cryocoolers are also much less massive than cryostats and their associated
support structures, a factor which can also lead to lower launch cost. Dewars also introduce unique Integration & Test
(I&T) and launch operations challenges which can be avoided if cryocoolers are used.
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